Field of the Invention
This invention patent relates to steam chest molding and the manufacture of expanded bead foam articles. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus and method for forming a design on an expanded bead foam article such as an exercise roller.
Description of the Related Art
Expanded foam bead molded articles, such as the popular cylindrical rollers used for exercise and therapy, may be produced in steam chest molding machines similar to injection molding machines. Exercise rollers can be any size suitable for exercising or therapy. Typical exercise rollers are about twelve to thirty-six inches long and have circular ends that are about six inches in diameter.
The exercise rollers are most often molded on the long (axial) dimension. That is, each tool die half is shaped like half of a cylinder, with the open/close direction of the mold being in the longitudinal (axial) direction.
Companies that sell exercise rollers often like to have their logos molded into one or both circular ends of the roller. However, because the circular ends of the mold are located in an opposite orientation to the open-close direction of the die tools, the logo typically doesn't reproduce in a crisp, well defined form because of the low foam pressure imposed on the ends. Logos can be added later as a secondary process, but this represents added cost. The present invention addresses these problems.